Pakistan making rapid progress on economic, diplomatic, military fronts: PM Shehbaz | The Express Tribune

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan had achieved economic stability and was now poised for growth, as he paid tribute to overseas Pakistanis during an interaction at the Pakistan High Commission in London, Radio Pakistan reported on Sunday.

“Pakistan is making rapid progress on the economic, foreign relations and military fronts,” the PM said, adding that recent gains were the result of “sincerity, hard work and team efforts.”

He further mentioned, “We can overcome every difficulty and make progress with cooperation, consultations, sincerity, persistent efforts and unity,” he said, stressing that Pakistan has regained ‘dignity and respect in the comity of nations’.

The prime minister said his speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) reflected the sentiments of Pakistanis and spotlighted the issues of Kashmir and Palestine. “Kashmir will get its freedom one day,” he said, adding that the people of Gaza are enduring ‘oppression and brutality which is never seen before in the world’.

Shehbaz noted that a recent meeting of Arab-Islamic countries with US President Donald Trump would yield ‘encouraging results’ on Gaza. He said 64,000 Muslims, including women and children, had been martyred. He also described his meeting with President Trump in Washington as ‘constructive and productive’, calling it a ‘stepping stone’ for better bilateral ties.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said, Shehbaz Sharif had ‘effectively represented Pakistan’ at the UNGA, where Pakistan participated in about two dozens of meetings. Dar said eight Muslim countries, including Pakistan, Turkiye and Indonesia, had held talks with Trump on Gaza, with follow-up meetings under way.

Dar also credited Shehbaz with saving Pakistan from economic default in 2022, saying the economy had since stabilised. “Interest rate has come down to 11 per cent from a high of 22 per cent and inflation has decreased to five per cent from 30 per cent,” he claimed.

Overseas Pakistanis attending the event praised Shehbaz Sharif’s UNGA speech, particularly his move of highlighting Kashmir and Palestine issues, and said it was ‘among the most listened speeches’ of the session. The prime minister later recorded his impressions in the High Commission’s guest book.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who attended the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Friday, was earlier hosted by US President Donald Trump for talks at the White House on Thursday, in the latest sign of warming relations between Washington and the South Asian nuclear power.

White House rolls out red carpet for PM Shehbaz, Field Marshal Munir

Shehbaz Sharif was among top officials from eight Arab and Muslim countries who met Trump on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly this week to discuss strategy on ending the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Upon arrival at Andrews Air Base, the prime minister was welcomed by a senior US air force official.

The prime minister’s motorcade left the airbase in the ring of US security. Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir also accompanied the prime minister.

Read More: PM hails historic response to Indian aggression

On the US side, participants in the meeting included the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, and senior defense officials, along with President Donald Trump.

Ahead of the meeting, the US president, while speaking to the media, called PM Shehbaz and Field Marshal Asim Munir ‘great’ people.

PM calls for peace, dialogue at UNGA session

Addressing the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif hailed the decisive response of Pakistan’s armed forces to Indian aggression as one that ‘will echo through the annals of history’. However, he called for peace, saying, “We have won the war, and now we seek to win peace.”

PM Shehbaz said, “Pakistan’s foreign policy, guided by the vision of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, is rooted in peace, mutual respect, and cooperation. We believe in the peaceful settlement of disputes through dialogue.”

He recalled that, from the same podium last year, he had warned that Pakistan would act decisively against external aggression. “Those words of mine proved true. When in May this year, my country confronted unprovoked aggression from our eastern front, the enemy came shrouded in arrogance; we sent them back in humiliation, delivering a bloody nose,” he said.

The prime minister declared that Pakistan had shot down seven Indian aircraft as an act of self-defence under the UN Charter in response to the India aggression.

The prime minister also extended an offer to India for a comprehensive and result-oriented dialogue on all outstanding issues, emphasising that South Asia needs proactive, not provocative, leadership.

Reiterating Pakistan’s resolve to defend the right of its 240 million people to the Indus waters, the prime minister warned that any violation of the treaty would be viewed as ‘an act of war’.